The third China Jilin Northeast Asia Investment and Trade Expo
will be held from September 2 to 6 at the International Conference
and Exhibition Center in Changchun, capital of Northeast China's
Jilin Province.
The investment and trade event is jointly sponsored by the
Ministry of Commerce, the Office of the Leading Group of the State
Council for Revitalizing the Old Industrial Bases in Northeast and
Other Areas of China, and the Jilin provincial government.
The annual expo, seen as China's endeavor to promote economic
exchange and regional cooperation with Northeast Asian countries,
aims at building a long-term cooperative platform between the
nations, according to the expo organizing committee.
Northeast Asia, with an area of nearly 17.28 million sq km and
an estimated population of 680 million, includes northern China,
Russia's far-eastern region, Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK),
the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Mongolia.
At present, China's trade with these five countries accounts for
a quarter of its total foreign trade volume.
Jilin Province, which has borders with Russia, DPRK, ROK and
Japan, is a core area in Northeast Asia.
With 2,200 standard exhibition booths, the upcoming expo in
Jilin's capital is expected to attract 50,000 domestic and foreign
business people.
More than 60 high-ranking government officials from around the
world and 80 Fortune Global 500 companies are also expected to
attend the event.
A number of international conferences will be held during the
expo, the topics for which will include the development of
biotechnology in Cuba, the development strategy on biological
chemicals and African economic cooperation.
The first Northeast Asia Economic and Trade Cooperation Forum is
a new highlight of the expo in which ministers or vice-ministers of
the six Northeast Asian countries are expected to participate.
High-level forum
The high-level forum will cover three topics: services and goods
trade and development of the logistics industry, financial
cooperation and investment development, and legal service and
intellectual property protection.
Meanwhile, a string of business activities such as Russia
Business Week, DPRK Business Day, ROK Business Day, Mongolia
Business Day and Japan Business Day will be held as part of the
expo.
The host province also plans to showcase its investment
environment and cooperative projects at the expo.
The organizing committee said that 537 projects with investment
value of 30 million yuan and above each will be introduced to
visitors at 10 investment project presentations covering various
fields, including automobiles and auto parts and
petrochemicals.
The number of big projects in the province with investment value
exceeding 100 million yuan each is registered at 317, accounting
for more than half of the total inventory.
Spurring local economy
"Hosting the Northeast Asia Investment and Trade Expo is
expected to drive the growth of Jilin's economy," said Han
Changbin, governor of the province.
"The expo will stimulate urban construction and the development
of the province's commerce, dining, tourism and communication
sectors," he added.
Since the central government decided to revitalize traditional
industrial bases in Northeast China in 2003, the province has seen
rapid economic development, with substantial investment growth in
fixed assets, said Han.
The previous sessions of the expo, in 2005 and 2006, played a
key role in spurring further revitalization of the old industrial
bases.
Statistics show that $292 million worth of foreign trade
agreements were signed during the first expo and the number of
investment projects was 163, while at the second expo the figures
grew to $384 million and 256 projects. Proprietary hi-tech projects
of the province were highlighted at the 2006 expo, which attracted
more than 40,000 participants.
Hosting the international event has helped Jilin display the
progress made by its vibrant economy after implementation of the
opening-up process.
As the expo expands its influence around the world, more
attention is directed toward the host province.
"Through the expo, we have perceived the hospitality of the
people of Jilin and the vast business opportunities in the
province," said an exhibitor from Tianjin in North China at the
second expo.
Early this year in Shanghai, the expo was named as one of the 10
most influential Chinese exhibitions sponsored by governments for
the year 2006, topping other exhibitions held in northern regions
that were on the list.
Well-prepared event
Buoyed by the experience of hosting two successful previous
sessions, the organizers started preparatory work for the third
expo quite early.
In fact, they had already begun extending invitations for the
event's third edition to business people participating in the
second expo last year.
Local governments of the province have made advance preparation
for the upcoming premium business event a priority, to ensure
greater success.
Changchun has been spruced up and construction of new exhibition
facilities has been completed.
A service guide for customs clearance has been posted in six
languages - Chinese, English, Russian, Korean, Japanese and
Mongolian - on the official website of the expo.
The authorities of the three provinces in Northeast China --
Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang -- and the Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region in North China have signed a framework for
cooperation on customs clearance, which is expected to facilitate
passage through the border ports and improve the efficiency of
customs clearance.
A series of artistic performances to be staged during the event
will help strengthen the festive atmosphere in the provincial
capital city.
(China Daily August 31, 2007)
